One Lump Or Two?

Over the weekend, my mom took me to The High Tea Cottage to experience my first afternoon tea.  This is something my mom has been waiting to do with me for years. It is one of her all-time favorite things. I was ecstatic to join her!

Our table was set with delicate dishes, two tea cups, and matching saucers.  My mom's china pattern was floral and mine was full of butterflies.  My favorite item on the table had to be the tiny teaspoon with a teeny teapot on the tip of the handle.  I very much fancied that!

First, we had to select a tea. The cottage owner brought over the tea trolley. We got to smell different types of tea. There was such a variety of choices. After smelling four teas, I selected Belgian Chocolate. My mom chose Windsor Castle (it's a mild, black tea).

Then came the delicacies. I had a cucumber and butter sandwich, chicken and cranberry sandwich (both with the crusts cut off, of course), fresh scone with devonshire cream, lemon curd, and peach-strawberry jam. Last but definitely not least, I had dainty fruit tarts and a cream puff for dessert.

I can't wait to go back again!


Have you ever been to high tea?  If so, where is your favorite place to go?

High tea or afternoon tea has a long history.  Do you know any facts about this old tradition?

Is there something special that you enjoy doing with your mom?

Memorial Day Glory

Hello everybody!

On Saturday, I celebrated Memorial Day with my mom and my Girl Scout troop in a special way.  We went to the Los Angeles National Cemetery in Westwood to place American flags on the headstones of soldiers who have served our country in the military.   There were so many other troops to help, including Daisies, Brownies, Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts, and Eagle Scouts.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

There was very specific way to place the flags.  They had to be put 1 foot away from the headstone and 2 inches into the ground.  Then we were told to stand and have a moment of silence to recognize and honor the soldier for their dedication to our country.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

I was very interested to read each soldier's headstone.  Some fought in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War.  There were many soldiers who even fought in more than one war.

This memorable experience inspired me to come home and learn more about Memorial Day.  I found out many interesting facts on Wikipedia.

Memorial Day Facts:
* Memorial Day used to be called "Decoration Day" during the Civil War.
* It wasn't until after World War II that the name changed to Memorial Day.
* In 1967, it was declared a national holiday.
* There are 88,000 graves in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.

Photo by Mallory's Mom

How do you celebrate Memorial Day where you live?

Do you have anyone in your family who has served in the military?

Hello, New York!

Hello, New York!

Last week, I went to New York with my family for my cousin's Bat Mitzvah.  At the Bat Mitzvah, there were hats, scarfs, and glasses. Who is this mysterious person?

Photo by Mallory's Mom

When we were driving back to Long Island from Albany, we made a pit stop for lunch. There, we got a souvenir coin.  The machine turned a regular penny into a pressed picture of a deer to represent wildlife in New York state.

Photo by Mallory's Dad

On the plane, we took some pictures of a sunset and pictures of a map.

Photo by Mallory

My favorite part of the flight was seeing all of the clouds out the window.

Photo by Mallory

Pengy also had a good time. Here is a picture of her with headphones.  She's a great traveler!

Photo by Mallory's Dad

When we got home, Pengy put on some of her glamorous clothes she got from our trip.

Photo by Mallory

Have you ever been to New York?  If so, where?

Do you know any facts about New York? (Give credit to were you got it!)

Sights of Springy Springtime!

Hi Everybody!
I'm not sure what the weather is like where you live, but here in California, Spring has sprung.  Just a couple of weeks ago it was rainy and cold, but now it's blue skies and sunshine.

One of my favorite parts of Spring is when all of the flowers and trees come back to life.  At my house, we have fruit trees and they've definitely started to bloom.  We have a plum tree, an apricot tree, and a peach tree.  They've been here since before we moved in.

My mom took this picture of one of our fruit trees at our house.   I love the pink flowers.  The flower petals will soon fall off the branches to make room for the fruit to grow.  I hope we get a lot of fruit this year!

Photo by Mallory's Mom

Can you guess what kind of fruit tree this is a picture of?

Do you have any fruit trees in your backyard?  If yes, are they blooming yet?  What color are the flowers?

What is Spring like where you live?

Purim Fun With Pengy

Hi Everyone!

It's Pengy again.  In Mallory's first post about me on her blog, she asked everyone what they thought my favorite movie was.  Most people guessed it right.  My favorite movie is "Happy Feet."  I guess it just reminds me of home.

Anyway, for the past couple of days, I've been celebrating Purim with Mallory and her family. Purim is like a Jewish version of Halloween.  During Purim, just like Halloween, everyone dresses up in costume.  I decided to dress up as a Mixed-Up Princess.  I went through Mallory's sister's dress up box and this is what I found.

Photo by Mallory's Dad

Another thing that makes Purim just like Halloween is that you get to eat lots of sweet treats.  The main treat of Purim is a triangular cookie called a Hamantashen.  Hamantashen cookies have a flavoring in the center.  Some people put fruit jelly like apricot or raspberry, and other people put nuts, poppy seeds or even chocolate.  My favorite is raspberry.  Here's what a Hamantashen cookie looks like:

Photo by Mallory's Dad

Mallory told me that in Mrs. Yollis' class they just started learning about shapes and geometry.  I think that these Hamantashen cookies look like a specific kind of triangle.

What kind of triangles are the Hamantashen cookies in this picture?

Have you ever tasted Hamantashen cookies?  If yes, what's your favorite kind?

What would you want to dress up like for Purim?

Two-Faced

Hi Everybody,
Thanks for coming back for my next post!  One of my favorite artists is Pablo Picasso, and I've even tried to draw a couple of pictures using his form.  He had a unique way of looking at people's faces and always tried to make his paintings beautiful without being ordinary.

Photo by Mallory's dad

This first picture, I made last summer at Art Camp.  I used watercolors and oil pastels and it is showing a woman and two opposite sides of her personality, stubborn and playful.  There are days that I feel like that too.

Photo by Mallory's dad

This next picture was also made at Art Camp.  For fun, I'd like everyone to guess the profession of the person that I was drawing and their personality.  

What do you think this is a picture of?

Have you ever been to Art Camp?  If not, what kind of camp do you go to?

Do you have a favorite artist?

Have you ever drawn a picture that captures your mood?

Introducing Pengy!

Photo by Mallory's mom

Hello Everybody!

Thanks for visiting my blog!  I'd like you to meet Pengy the Penguin, my favorite Pillow Pet and my blog's mascot.  She thinks she's a person who can do everything we can.  When I come home from school, I can often find her in unusual places getting into mischief.

Photo by Mallory's mom

Today, I found her in my sister's room practicing some dance moves.  Pengy looks like a ballet dancing movie star!  She even took the microphone to sing a pop song for me.  She's the most entertaining penguin around!

Pengy also loves iced chocolate (instead of hot chocolate) and ice cold baths.  Her favorite candy is Swedish Fish.

Can you guess what Pengy's favorite movie is?

Do you have a favorite Pillow Pet or stuffed animal?  Please describe it to me.

Do you ever feel like your toys come to life when you're not around?  If so, what do you think they do?